“[The Culture of Fear] will amaze you, make you upset, and give you a new resolve to do what’s best for this country.”

—Michael Moore

"One of the most important sociological books you'll read this year, and certainly the most reassuring."

— Kirkus Reviews

In the age of terrorism, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, financial collapse, Amber Alerts, and vaccine scares, our society is defined by fear. But are we living in exceptionally dangerous times? In The Culture of Fear, sociologist Barry Glassner demonstrates that it is our perception of danger that has increased, not the actual level of risk. Glassner exposes the people and organizations that manipulate our perceptions and profit from our fears, including advocacy groups that raise money by exaggerating the prevalence of particular diseases and politicians who win elections by heightening concerns about crime, drug use, and terrorism. In this enlarged and updated edition of a classic bestseller—more relevant now than when it was first published—Glassner reveals the price we pay for social panic.